This disclosure relates to hazard detection and/or warnings. More particularly, this disclosure relates to hazard detection systems and methods associated with charge buildup or static electricity.
Environmental hazards, such as electrically charged atmospheric regions, atmosphere regions containing particles (e.g., particles due to volcanic eruptions), and precipitative atmospheric regions, etc., can pose danger for vehicles. For example, aircraft penetrations through environmental hazards can result in costly damage to the aircraft or aircraft failure due to lightning strikes, ice build-up, and wear on engine parts and other components. It is estimated that as many as 90% of lightning strikes on aircraft are induced by the aircraft itself, especially when the aircraft is flying in the vicinity of the freezing layer. Aircraft induced lightning strikes are accompanied by electrical charge buildup in the aircraft.
Penetration through a volcanic ash cloud, such as the one associated with the Icelandic volcanic eruption, can cause significant damage to an aircraft's engines and flight control systems. In one incident over Alaska, such a penetration resulted in engine failure and replacement of four engines when the aircraft returned to ground.
Penetration of an electrified atmospheric region by aircraft can result in the aircraft being struck by lightning. A lightning charge buildup is often accompanied by precipitation induced static or P-static on aircraft radios due to small electrical discharges from aircraft surfaces. Lightning strikes are extremely costly. When an aircraft is struck by lightning, it is taken out of service for inspection and repair. Both aircraft structural components and electronic components may need to be repaired after a lightning strike.
Thunderstorm penetration by aircraft can result in high altitude icing on aircraft engines. Ice build-up on compressor blades, engine spinners, and internal engine parts results in ice sloughing further into the engine, which can damage the engine or result in engine flame-out. Further, ice build-up can clog pilot tubes and static ports that can cause airspeed, or other cockpit indicator errors.
Accordingly, there is a need for monitoring for environmental hazards. Further, there is a need for an environmental hazard sensor and method of determining the presence of an environmental hazard. There is also a need for a system and method of determining a hazard by sensing an environmental condition. Further, there is a need for a system for a method of determining hazards based on environmental condition that does not require significant additional aircraft components.
Yet further there is a need for an onboard hazard detection system which can be integrated with existing avionic equipment onboard the aircraft. Further still, there is a need for a system that can detect the presence of debris clouds associated with environmental hazards, environmental regions with increased probability of lightning strikes, and environmental regions associated with icing, such as, high altitude icing. Yet further still, there is a need for an avionic system that can provide a warning of environmental hazards such as lightning hazards, debris cloud hazards, and icing hazards.
It would be desirable to provide a system and/or method that provides one or more of these or other advantageous features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the above-mentioned needs.